Former UFC star John Dodson was forced to pull out of his upcoming July 30 bantamweight bout against Cody Gibson after he and his family were involved in a “near-death” auto accident.
That information was passed along to the general public by Dodson’s manager through a GoFundMe page set up to ask for donations on the family’s behalf.
Per that GoFundMe page, “The Dodson’s were headed to Texas on vacation to visit family when they were involved in a near-death accident with the whole family inside the vehicle. They were all released from the hospital this morning but will have a rough month of recovery and financial hardship ahead. They have totaled their family vehicle and unfortunately John will no longer be able to fight in his upcoming July 30th bout. We are asking for assistance to help them with their medical bills, financial assistance from being out of work and travel back to New Mexico…”
Dodson, who lives and trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was headed to Texas with his family when they were involved in the car accident on Friday night. Dodson and his family survived the crash, but the family is now in need of financial assistance.
The fighter issued his own statement via social media. He posted, “Just letting everyone know we’re all alive and no one is seriously injured. The car we hit was left in the middle of the highway after that person hit an 18 wheel and another car crashed into it as well. He had no Hazzards light, no flares and no other warning to let us know. I hit the car and we rolled. I don’t know how many times but luckily the cables in the median stopped us from rolling onto traffic going the other direction. The guy fled on foot after he saw my vehicle rolled.. I gotta thank infinite for the design of the suv cuz it protected my family and I from dying. We’re just lucky no one died and we can live to see another day and be reminded on how luck we are. Life is short and you don’t know when it’s gonna end so enjoy it while you can.”
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Manager Reveals New Fight for Dodson: ‘Show Them Some Love’
The GoFundMe page was set up by Dodson’s manager, Ricky Kottenstette.
He posted, “@johndodsonmma and his family were in a serious accident last evening. Let’s show them some love thru this tough time…”.
Dodson, 36, has an overall MMA record of 21-12. He lost six of his final 10 bouts before he was cut by the UFC at the end of 2020.
Dodson’s next fight was supposed to be his promotional debut for XMMA.
Instead, Dodson will now be fighting to recover from the undisclosed injuries he suffered alongside his family in their near-fatal auto accident over the holiday weekend.
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Dodson’s MMA Career Continues After Long and Meritorious Run in UFC
Dodson’s MMA career was set to continue after his long and meritorious UFC career was over, but now it looks like he’ll need to recover from his injuries first.
Last year, Dodson lost three out of his last four fights before being released, but the UFC veteran picked up notable wins across his career over the likes of T.J. Dillashaw, Eddie Wineland and Pedro Munhoz.
Dodson twice challenged for a world title against UFC flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson. He suffered decision losses in both fights.
In addition to being a world title challenger in 2013 and 2015, Dodson was the winner of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller” reality television series back in 2011.
That victory made him a notable name in the sport, and he had a strong run in the UFC that lasted almost a decade.
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UFC Star Asks for Donations After ‘Near-Death’ Accident